


A Spy in the House of

by AstratheCatha



Series: Behind the Scenes and New Revelations [1]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, In a way, It explains it in the fic, Magic Revealed, Other Characters mentioned but do not have lines, Spy - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-24
Updated: 2015-09-24
Packaged: 2018-04-23 06:04:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4865804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AstratheCatha/pseuds/AstratheCatha
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone knows the story of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table... But what if they didn't?</p><p>What if everything in Camelot was not what it seemed?</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Spy in the House of

**Author's Note:**

  * For [HunterPeverell](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HunterPeverell/gifts).



> I wrote this as a birthday present for HunterPerverell, and it came out different than I expected.
> 
> It is just Merlin and Morgan friendship, but if you want to read it as a Mergana, I guess I can't stop you. 
> 
> I did have a beta for this, although, there may still be some errors. 
> 
> I do not own Merlin. I would be rich and not living in a dorm room then.

When asked to tell the story of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, most people would tell the story of Arthur, the bastard son of King Uther Pendragon, and his advisor, the wise, old warlock, Merlin. They would speak of the sword in the stone, his love of Guinevere, and the epic betrayal of his closest knight, Lancelot. Some might even remember Morgan Le Fey, Arthur’s half-sister and archenemy or the search for the Holy Grail. But few would remember Mordred, nephew to Arthur. And when asked to name the Knights of the Round Table they might be able to name a few of them. Most would know Lancelot, and possibly Percival. But not much more than that.

And occasionally you would get a tale that would be close to the truth. Someone who knows that Merlin was wise, but he was a year or two younger than the prince. And you would find a tale that speaks of the ban of magic on pain of death. You would find a story that spoke of Morgana, the secret half-sister of Arthur, the strong-willed beloved Lady of Camelot; stories where both Merlin and Gwen were servants, manservant and handmaiden to the prince and unspoken princess of Camelot, respectively. They tell of Gwen and Lancelot’s unwilling betrayal. One controlled by an enchantment and the other a mere shade of the dead knight controlled by dark forces. They speak of Merlin’s steadfast loyalty and Morgana’s ultimate betrayal.

But not even these stories speak the whole truth. Because not everything in Camelot was as it seemed. Even those who thought they knew everything that truly happened in Camelot were tricked. There was a mole, a spy in the midst of--

Now I am getting ahead of myself. I can’t reveal the plot twist before I have actually started the story. Now I know you must be wondering what actually happened. And I’ll tell you; I am not too cruel of a person. So where to begin?

 

“No young man, no matter how great can know his own destiny. He cannot glimpse his part in the great story that is about to unfold. Like everyone, he must live and learn. And so it will be for the young warlock arriving at the gates of Camelot. A boy that will, in time, father the legend. His name: Merlin.”

 

No, no, no. You all must already know this part, where Merlin learns of his destiny, saves the prince from a sorcerer, and earns a position in the royal household. I could start at the beginning, where most stories start, but that would take too much time and you already know the beginning part. The story truly doesn’t change until much later… I know where to start. You will have to forgive me for being vague, but I do love a good mystery.

 

I will begin our story in an almost cliché manner, with a dark and stormy night. The setting is the Lady Morgana’s chambers as she sleeps fitfully in her bed. This in itself is not abnormal. The King’ ward is known to have the most terrible nightmares. There is a briefest flash of gold in half closed eyes and the candle next to the bed flares to life, but this does not wake the restless woman. Gwen, the young servant enters the room with a small pile of blankets.

“I brought you some extra blankets, I thought you might be cold…” The young servant girl trailed off, seeing her mistress asleep. She sets the blankets down and goes to blow out the candle, moving it to the window, presumably to keep the smoke from bothering her mistress, who needs all the sleep she can get. Then Gwen exits the room. Not long before there is another flash of gold eyes and the candle is lit again.

But this time Morgana wakes up, staring at the single lit candle in the room. She knows that Gwen would have blown out any candles that she would have missed and it scares her. With a peal of thunder, the flame flares higher, unnaturally high, catching the curtains on fire. Morgana screams and the windows explode out.

Now I know what you are saying: you already know this story. You know that Arthur thinks that it was lightning; Uther guessing it was a sorcerer, so terribly correct and so wonderfully wrong; Merlin tries to be comforting; Gwen tries to be comforting, but in the end Morgana still gets scared, breaks a vase, and runs to Gaius but finds Merlin instead. But I feel the need to remind you of that moment when Morgana found out she had more in common with the people with whom she sympathized, and the young druid boy she saved, than she had previously thought. It is now that the story really begins to diverge.

“I’m scared, Merlin. I don’t understand anything anymore. I need to know what’s happening. Please,” Morgana begged Merlin. Her voice was getting more and more desperate, weak, everything that Morgana was not. It pained Merlin to see her this way. Merlin looked towards the door, not knowing what to do.

“Gaius will be back soon. He’ll be able to help you,” Morgana shook her head and grabbed onto Merlin’s hands, looking straight into Merlin’s eyes. He thought that she had a slightly crazy look in her eyes, like at any moment she would break and she wouldn’t know who she was anymore. Like she had lost her grip on reality. She looked like a poor lost girl just trying to find her way home.

“He won’t. I don’t want any more remedies. They won’t do any good. It’s magic, Merlin,” She said the last part with a whisper, looking around as if checking to make sure they were in fact alone. She was scared. Everything she had ever known had been turned upside down right after she was spun around so quickly that the world would not stay in focus. She didn’t know what to do, so she ran to the one person she trusted more than anyone in the world, although for the life of her she did not know why.

“What?” Merlin stalled as he tried to decide what to do. Should he follow the advice of an age old dragon who was so blinded by destiny that he didn’t see the people behind it and the father figure to both Morgana and himself, who wanted to protect Morgana from everything including her own nature? Or should he tell the truth to the one person in all of Camelot who could understand him and would prevent him from feeling so lonely surrounded by people?

“I’m your friend. You know I wouldn’t make this up.” Morgana almost accused. She was too wrapped up in her own problems to consider what problems she might be causing her friend. All she wanted was for someone to tell her the truth. She didn’t want to be crazy.

“Of course.” Merlin replied almost without thinking. Of course she was his friend. One of the few friends he had. He had Will, the first person other than his mother to learn of his magic. And he kept that secret, even to the grave. Then there was Gwen, but their friendship started out as a crush, and so there were something that the girl would never understand. And then Arthur, a friendship transformed from mutual hatred, and born from mutual annoyance. But Morgana… The friendship with her was something else entirely. Something that he could not put his finger on.

“Then you believe me? You think it’s magic too. Please Merlin, I just need to hear someone say it so I don’t have to keep feeling like I’m imagining it.” Morgana asked, desperately clinging onto the tiny hope that Merlin had unknowingly gave her. Although she didn’t know what she wanted his answer to be? Affirmation that it was magic: that her nightmares were bleeding out into real life? Or for Merlin to say that it wasn’t true and it was just a freak accident of nature: that Morgana can no longer tell what is reality and what is not?

Merlin was shocked out of his reverie by her confession. He didn’t know what to do. He could ignore the advice of his elders, something his mother taught him to never do. He could not comfort a friend in a time of need, something his mother also taught him never to do. His mother taught him never to reveal his magic, but also taught him to never lie to a friend. But the poor woman never imagined this kind of situation. And all it seems like he has been doing was lying. He gnawed on his lower lip, glancing at the door. Some part of his brain expected Uther and Arthur to barge through the door and arrest Merlin and Morgana for using magic. He looked at Morgana and glanced at the door one more time before he made his decision.

 

Yes, I know that you already know this part. But it is here that the story changes. The words Merlin says next will change the story you all think you know and changed the fate of Camelot. Or perhaps it was Morgana’s reaction that changed. I know, I know. You think I am being cruel. And maybe I am. But like I said I love a good mystery. But if I tell you now, then why would you continue listening? I promise I will reveal the truth in the end. All your questions will be answered. And isn’t that where the truth is always revealed? In the end? The truth is never revealed in the beginning. It wouldn’t be much of a story otherwise.

 

There are some more changes to the story. But not as much as you may think. The witch-finder still comes. He still accuses Gaius of sorcery. Merlin still saves the day, just in time. King Alined still has his pet sorcerer enchant Arthur and Lady Vivian and Merlin still saves the day. Things don’t take a drastic change during a conversation between two people. Or rather, one person and one creature of magic.

“You have to do it.”

“I can’t. I don’t want to. There has to be another way!”

“No, there is no other way. It has to be this way. You and I both know it is true.”

“But I- I- What if-”

“It will work. Trust me, it is the only way. You have to do it, Merlin.”

“But-”

“DO IT!”

“Ok… ok. Fine”

That was the day that Merlin poisoned Morgana to release Camelot from the spell. That was the day that Merlin betrayed Morgana. That was the day that Morgana turned her back on her friendship, turned her back on Arthur, and turned her back on Camelot. And that was the day that Merlin saved Camelot and remained completely loyal to Arthur, even if it meant destroying a treasured friendship.

What if it wasn’t?

What if it wasn’t what it seemed? Isn’t that what I said at the beginning? Not everything in Camelot was as it seemed.

What if two people had to do something that they normally wouldn’t to gain the trust that they needed? What if they did something to make someone else believe the lies that they were being fed? What if someone was not who he or she pretended to be? After all, both Morgana and Merlin were both adapt at keeping secrets.

It was over a year before Merlin and Morgana could meet up again. Now don’t get me wrong, the two of them have had regular contact during that year. But they had never met face to face since that night. That is, until Merlin was dragged into an alcove by the black haired beauty.

“Morgana! What are you doing here? Everything will be ruined if we get caught.” Merlin hissed, quickly looking around the corridor. He was being a little paranoid. They were in the middle of a little used hallway in the far side of the castle in the dead of night. The only reason that Merlin was out so late was Arthur kept him late with plans of rescuing Morgana. But everything could be ruined if they were caught; they might even be killed.

“Don’t worry Merlin. We won’t be caught. And even if we were, what is the worst that would happen? You get credit for saving the favored daughter of Camelot?” Morgana nearly laughed and flashed a grin as Merlin glowered at how lightly she was taking everything.

“You could be a little more serious about this whole thing Morgan. It’s not like we are plotting against one of the most powerful-” Both magic users moods dropped at the reminder of what they were planning.

“You’re right, Merlin. Sorry.” Morgana said, quickly dropping her jovial attitude. She squared her shoulders and looked every bit as regal as she did before despite living in an abandoned castle for over a year. It helped that with every one of Merlin’s letters he sent something, a little bit of civilization with it.

“It’s ok. I might be overreacting. So, why are you here?” Merlin quickly replied. He didn’t like seeing her upset. She had been through a lot and most likely would be through a lot more. They both subconsciously looked around the hallway they both knew was empty except for them.

“Morgause changed her plans.” Morgana stated, deciding to just get it over with. No amount of delaying it will make it go away.

“What?!?” Merlin hissed, trying to keep his voice low, “How long? God, none of the preparations are ready. How much has the plan changed? Is it even the same plan?” Merlin started to pace, and only Morgana prevented him from pacing into a wall or out into the corridor. He flashed Morgana a grateful smile every time she did. But he couldn’t stop pacing, thinking of all the things that could go wrong.

“It’s ok Merlin. It is still the same plan. Just moved up a week.” Morgana paused to let Merlin do his calculations in his head. He was good at this kind of thing. Not plan building. All of his plans were horrible and ill thought out. But he had a knack for knowing if things were going to go wrong, before they had even started. It was almost like destiny was whispering into his ear.

“Is Morgause still planning to be here three days after you make your grand entrance?” Morgana gave a small smile and nodded. Merlin and Morgana both had a flare for the dramatics and loved grand entrances. “Ok, then this could work. Everything should be completed by then. Just barely but it should work.” Morgana smiled at this and placed a comforting hand on Merlin’s shoulder. They both stayed like this until the approaching footsteps of a guard could be heard from a nearby corridor.

“Wait, Morgana.” Merlin stage whispered to Morgana as she hurried to leave before she was caught, “Don’t forget to share the happy news with our friend.” Then they both turned and left, just seconds before the guard entered the corridor.

 

Now, I know what you are thinking. I just revealed who the spy was. And didn’t I say I would reveal that in the end? Well I have a question for you. Do you really know who the spy is? Think hard; look at everything that I have told you. Is the spy really who you think he is? Is he?

But how should I know? I don’t know what you are thinking. For all I know you might be thinking of the correct person. We will just have to see.

Now the things began to really change. Now, I am not surprised that you don’t know this part of the story. The only parts that really changed were in the background: someone pulling the strings so quietly that no one even noticed, not even those closest. The great dragon might have know the truth; he was a seer after all. But if he did, he gave no indication. There was nothing they could do about that anyway.

A week after their late night meeting Morgana was “found” in the woods by Arthur and Merlin. She was ragged, sticks in her hair, and her dress torn. She claimed- but you know this already. Morgana was welcomed into Camelot with open arms and Uther became plagued by his past.

Three days later the dead rose in Camelot.

“Where is she? Has she entered the citadel yet?” Merlin asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet. He and Morgana were in the crypts beneath Camelot. Their faces were cast in a blue tinge from the glow of the staff that Morgause had given Morgana.

“Merlin, calm down. It has just started. Give her some time.” Morgana assured her companion, placing a calming hand on his shoulder.

“Something is not right. I don’t know what it is, but something isn’t right.” The two shared a worried look. Over the years Morgana has learned to trust Merlin’s gut. It has always been right after all.

“Merlin, it is going to be fine. We’ll fix it. We always do.”

“I don’t know. Maybe we should just end it now.”

“Merlin, can we wait? Just a little bit longer. Morgause needs to enter the citadel for our plan to work.” She knows she should trust Merlin’s instinct. But they were both tired of wearing their disguises. She just wanted this over. She didn’t want to pretend to hate Merlin any longer.

“I don’t know. I just- I just don’t know. I get the feeling that Morgause was never planning on entering the city, like this is all a test.”

“A test for who?” Morgana asked, sounding worried. This could all fall apart if they didn’t move carefully.

“I don’t know.” Merlin mumbled as he bit his lip. He started pacing before Morgana grabbed both of his shoulders and turned him to face her.

“Merlin, do what you think is right.” Morgana echoed the words she once said to Arthur. Both Merlin and Arthur had amazing instincts, but sometimes they second guess themselves. But they just needed a little reminder every now and then.

“And damn the consequences?” Merlin asked with a sly smile. Morgana just lifted the corners of her lips into a small smile. Merlin turned, without hesitation, and grabbed the staff, smashing the crystal against a corner a sarcophagus. The man whose tomb it was would be proud to help defend Camelot, even in death.

“What do we do now?” Morgana wondered aloud. Their plan had fallen apart after over a year of planning and preparations. She felt a little lost, like her purpose was taken away from her.

“What we have been doing, protect Arthur even if it is from himself.” Merlin stated with determination and possibly a little tiredness.

“And stop Morgause.” Morgana finished as the two of them walked out of the catacombs, each already planning how to move forward from here.

**Author's Note:**

> So I know it was confusing. But I was experimenting with the writing style. So, if you could please review and tell me what you think of the writing style, as well as any error that you find, you would be wonderful cookie monsters who get free cookies. I can also answer any questions that you might have.
> 
> And I might be convinced to write a sequel if say... five people ask for one. So tell me if you want a sequel or there won't be one.
> 
> Thank you and I hope I didn't hurt your brain too much.


End file.
